Die Freunde der Unterdrückten
by grand-taire
Summary: Les Amis de l'ABC have left the streets of 1832 Paris and ventured into the Third Reich under a new name. What will happen to our beloved barricade boys? Based on the musical, movie, and the Brick. Rated M for safety in later chapters.
1. Introduction

Die Freunde der Unterdrückten was a close association of good friends, all united under a single cause. They dedicated themselves to undermining their enemy, the enemy of the free peoples: The Nazi Party. They wanted a free and united Germany. They wanted a place where they could live in peace. They needed it.

They were made up of nine very different men. They were called Engelbert, Konrad, Chlothar, Feirefiz, Johannes, Jochim, Bonifaz, Baldewin, and Gernod. Each of them had their own story, their own reason to fight, but none of their reasons were more significant than the next.

Engelbert Künzel had his life set out before him under the Führer's regime. He was as well-off as anyone was capable of being in that time. Nothing about him was unexcusable by the Nazis, except for his political ideals. He was an Aryan. His family members were members of the party. Yet he wasn't blinded by their beliefs. He knew his fellow Germans suffered under Hitler. He felt that he needed to make a change or die trying.

Konrad Löwenherz was a brave yet reserved spirit. He believed that Die Freunde could change Germany, but he believed in doing it through education. He had the utmost faith in the people. He believed they could changed the philosophies that had been forced upon the German people through teaching them kindness and respect. That was the most important thing to him.

Chlothar Buchmann was much more zealous than any of his fellow Freunde. In his eyes, Die Freunde would succeed the most through attempting to get their ideas into the public eye. He enjoyed openly harassing the Nazis and secretly meeting with the loose women. His friends were surprised that he hadn't gotten himself killed yet.

Feirefiz Stein was a prime example of what Die Freunde were fighting for. His whole family had been killed by agents of the SS when he was young because they were Jews. He was left to fend for himself in a country that could and would not help him. He joined so that his people would have a voice.

Johannes Dichter dreamt his way through life. He loved music, dance and literature- especially poetry. To him, anything could be art. He strongly believed that when art was made, all should have an opportunity to appreciate it. When the Nazis censored and burned the poetry he had fought so hard to have published, he took up arms against them.

Jochim Fröhlich was the jolliest of all Die Freunde. Though he was fearful of contracting disease, he studied medicine at the university and strived to help others that were sick themselves. Some day, he wished to have his own respectable practice that he could operate without feeling the eyes of hatred on him all the time.

Bonafiz Bühler found a silver lining in everything. He was a poor man, yet he found enough money to give to those even worse off than he was. He was notoriously unlucky, yet every day he came to Die Freunde's secret meetings with a bright smile on his face. He knew that Germany could become strong without a hateful leader and an oppressive police force. He looked forwards to that new, peaceful Germany.

Baldewin Stark was seen by many as a brute, but he did not necessarily fit that common assumption. It was true that he would never run from a fight. In fact, he would run freely towards that fight. However, he was a kind-hearted man who yearned for a country that would treat all of its citizens equally well. He was fierce, but he loved all. He treated everyone as a friend, and he treated his friends like family.

Gernod Groβehr didn't fit in with the rest of Die Freunde. He had little faith in anything. Just a few years prior, his family abandoned him when they fled for the United States. He didn't trust anyone to help him- anyone except Engelbert. The fact that a man as privileged as Engelbert was so willing to risk everything to save people that were so far below his level fascinated him. He found himself willing to do anything to please Engelbert, which in turn became a desire to help those that had suffered a similar fate to his own.

None of Die Freunde were perfect human beings, but they all knew that they had to unite under this one cause and strive to make a better Germany.

**A/N: I just read the Brick and we're studying the Third Reich in my history class so this little thing popped into my mind. (HOLY RUN-ON SENTENCE BATMAN!) What do y'all think? (I don't really care if nobody likes it, I'm still writing it because hashtag YOLO). But I still really would like people's opinions. I'll try putting the first chapter up soon. I'm super busy with AP classes right now.**

**So here's a short explanation of names and other stuff. If you haven't figured it out (and I wouldn't blame you if you haven't), here's a list of the barricade boys and their WWII German counterparts, along with an explanation of their names:**

**Bahorel- Baldewin (Baldewin means "brave friend." Bahorel is a total badass in the Brick. He tells Enjolras off epically.)**

**Bossuet- Bonifaz (Bonifaz means "good fate." I picked this name for the sake of irony, because Bossuet is very unlucky. Also, Bonifaz is an awesome name.)**

**Combeferre- Konrad (Konrad means "bold counsel." I would have gone with the spelling of Conrad for the sake of starting with a C for Combeferre, but for some reason still unbeknownst to me, I didn't.)**

**Courfeyrac- Chlothar (Chlothar means "loud warrior." If you know anything about Courfeyrac's personality in the Brick, you'll see how perfect this name is for him.)**

**Enjolras- Engelbert (Engelbert means "bright angel," although it sounds incredibly dweeby. In the Brick, Enjolras is described as being angelically handsome, so I thought this was a good fit for him.)**

**Feuilly- Feirefiz (I must warn you; this is a very long explanation, as this name comes from German mythology. "In the German Arthurian epic poem, Parzival, Sir Percival has a mulatto half-brother, Feirefiz, meaning 'black and white son,' whom he meets towards the end of the poem. During a fight, with Feirefiz, Percival's sword breaks, but Feirefiz does not slay him. As they are talking, they learn that they have the same father." I picked this name because I think it embodies Feuilly very well. Though he struggles with his enemies, they find they are not so different after all.)**

**Grantaire MY FAVORITE BARRICADE BOY YAY- Gernod (Gernod means "need" or "want." Grantaire is in need of Enjolras, so that's where I got this one from. Finding a good name for Grantaire was hard, so please don't stone me.)**

**Jehan- Johannes (Johannes means "God is gracious." This isn't really relevant to Jehan, except for the fact that the Brick mentions that he is confounded by the concept of God. However, I made his last name relevant! Dichter means "poet" in German.)**

**Joly- Jochim (Jochim means "Jehovah raises up." Again, not super relevant, but pretend it means he's happy! Frohlich also means happy in German, so hopefully that makes more sense)**

**And there's my not so brief explanation! YAY! Expect the first chapter soon!**

**grand-taire :)**


	2. A Very Enthusiastic Man

**A/N: Here it is! The first chapter! I hope y'all like it. Sorry it took so long to post. Life was a bit hectic and I didn't find a lot of time to write.**

I walked down the street with Elfi quickly. Many people were not out at this time of night. It wasn't safe and Elfi had forgotten her identification papers. She held my arm like a lifeline as we walked. I didn't really like how clingy she was, but I tolerated it. Her parents abused her brutally and forced her into doing many bad things against her will. Although I had a falling out with my family, they never hit me. She wasn't used to the kindness I treated her with. I felt horrible for her. She was a good person who didn't deserve to be treated the way she was. I started to get a stitch in my side and it got to the point where Elfi was almost dragging me.

"Don't walk so quickly, Elfi," I said. "I can't keep up with you."

"But we have to hurry!" she hissed, sounding desperate.

"There's nobody out now," I said. She looked at me, obviously frustrated.

"Fine," she huffed. She slowed her pace, but she was still rushing me.

"You'll look less suspicious this way anyhow," I whispered in her ear.

A small smile played at the corner of her mouth and she slowed a little more. We walked past a dark, decrepit alley, and suddenly I heard groaning- loud groaning.

"What was that?" I asked, stopping.

"Let's go, Manfred," Elfi said, tugging at my arm. "It probably wasn't anything."

"No," I said. "I'm taking a look first."

I pulled her hand off my arm and stepped into the alley. I squinted my eyes to see better. I saw a man crumpled on the ground under the dim lamp that lit up the alley. I looked around and then back at the man. I ran over to him and hunkered down beside him. I tentatively shook him and he moaned slightly. I rolled his body over carefully.

"Please," he whimpered.

The man was battered and bruised. His face was completely covered in dried blood except for two lines down his cheeks where he must have been crying. I looked down at his arm and saw the familiar condemning armband with a gold star stamped on it.

"I'm going to help you sir," I said. I looked back up at his face and his eyes had slid shut. I shook him more frantically. "Sir?!"

He wouldn't wake. I pressed my fingers to his neck. There was still a slow pulse. I sprang to my feet and ran back to Elfi.

"There's an injured man back there," I told her. "We have to help him."

I took Elfi's hand and dragged her into the alleyway. I stopped next to the man and knelt next to him. I pulled her down next to me.

"He's a Jew," she muttered, eyeing the armband. "We have to go, Manfred."

"I'm going to get help," I told her. "Keep an eye on him."

She looked tempted to run off, but she let go of me and nodded. I got up and hurried back to the street. It was deserted. I ran down the block and quickly turned the corner. I ran into something hard and fell back on my ass. I looked up and saw a man standing there. I couldn't see his face.

"I'm so sorry, sir," I apologized.

The man grabbed me by my coat and pulled me to my feet. I raised my hands in front of my face in fear. The man let go of me and stepped into the light. He had wild brown hair that stuck out in every direction and a big grin with perfect white teeth. There was a childish quality to his face. He couldn't be much older than me.

"No apology necessary, kid," he said. "It's amazing you apologized anyway. I'm not used to that anymore."

He smoothed his coat out and I saw a gold star sewn into the lapel. I brushed the dirt off the seat of my pants and awkwardly cleared my throat.

"Will you come with me sir?" I asked. His brow furrowed in suspicion.

"What for?" he asked apprehensively. He eyed my clothes. I suspected that he was looking for a swastika or something else that would suggest I was untrustworthy.

"There's been an attack," I explained. "I need help. There's not much time."

The man's eyes widened in alarm and he nodded.

"Take me there," he said.

I turned on my heel and ran down the street. The man was right on my tail. I skidded to a stop in front of the old alleyway.

"Elfi?" I called anxiously.

"Still here, Manfred," I heard her call back.

"This way, sir," I said.

The man followed me into the alley and stopped next to the man. He crouched down.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said. "We just found him here."

He eyed the man's armband and absentmindedly touched his own patch.

"The hospitals won't tend to a Jew," he said. "I know where to take him."

He crouched down and stuck his arms under the man's armpits.

"Get his feet," he instructed me.

I grabbed his ankles and we lifted him up. We walked with a fast pace down the street. Elfi trailed behind us. He led all of us a few blocks away to a big apartment building.

"Will you get the door?" he asked Elfi.

She rushed to the door and held it open for us. The brown-haired man brought us down to the last door in the hall. He tapped the door with his foot loudly.

"Jochim!" he called. "It's me."

The door opened and another man stood there, looking sleepy. His eyes widened upon seeing the man.

"Come in," he said hurriedly. We all went inside and the brown-haired man and I set the injured Jew down on the long kitchen table.

"What happened?" the man who must have been Jochim asked. The brown-haired man shrugged and then gestured to Elfi and me.

"They found him in a nearby alleyway. It looks as if he was attacked," he said. "Can you help him?"

"I'll see what I can do." He went off and came back with a black medical bag.

"You can take a seat in the sitting room," he said. "I'll try not to be too long. There's tea on the table."

I began to protest, but we were dragged into the next room over by the brown-haired man. He sat us down on a tattered old couch.

"I'm sorry I haven't properly introduced myself," he said, taking a seat on the overstuffed chair opposite the couch. "My name is Chlothar."

I looked over at Elfi. I wasn't sure if I should share my name, in case he was an agent. I looked at his patch again and decided he was a safe person to speak to.

"I'm Manfred. This is my friend Elfi."

Elfi tensed up next to me. Perhaps I should have let her share her own name. It was too late anyway. Chlothar nodded and grinned, despite the situation we were all just in.

"You rescued this man though you do not know him," he said, "and for that I admire you, young man. You come across much more experienced and mature than you must be in reality."

"I am seventeen, sir. I am not young," I said sheepishly. "You can't be much older than me."

"I'm not," he admitted, laughing. "I only just turned twenty. Either way, you show spirit and caring."

"Thank you, I guess," I said awkwardly.

We sat there in gauche silence for a few moments. Elfi tugged on my sleeve. I glanced over at her and saw how uncomfortable she looked. I felt bad for putting her in this situation. All she wanted was to get home, and now she was in this strange house, with a strange man.

"Do you like the regime?" Chlothar asked suddenly.

"What?" I asked, thrown off by the random question.

"The Führer. What is your opinion of him?" he asked.

"I- I don't know. I think he has reformed our country in great ways. We are no longer overlooked. We are feared as we once were," I said. Chlothar furrowed his brow in confusion, so I kept going. "But there is something that is off-putting about him. I'm not quite sure what it is."

"Are you a Jew, Manfred?" he asked.

"Of course not!" I snapped, sounding harsher than I meant to. "I mean, no. I'm a Christian."

"I see," he said. "And yet you rescued this Jew." He gestured in the direction of the kitchen.

"If I ever see a man beaten to a pulp, Chlothar, I will help him, no matter his ethnicity," I said defensively.

"Well Manfred, I find you rather fascinating," he said, smiling. "But seeing as it is rather late, perhaps you ought to head home."

Elfi looked at me and nodded quickly.

"Yes, you're right," I said hurriedly, standing up. Elfi practically leaped to her feet. I turned to leave, but Chlothar grabbed my arm.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Manfred," he said, standing up and offering his hand for me to shake. I clasped it and shook it fast. His grip was firm, and he wouldn't let go for longer than I would have liked. I felt him slip something into my hand when he let go. It was a small folded up piece of paper. I shoved it into my pocket after hesitating a moment.

"Take care," he said, beaming again.

"I will," I said distantly.

He showed Elfi and me the door and we hurried back outside. We walked briskly through the streets back to the apartment complex where we lived. We waited until we arrived at my door to speak of anything that had just transpired.

"That was odd," she said. "He seemed like he was up to something. What do you think?"

I considered mentioning the paper, but I decided against it. It wasn't that I didn't trust Elfi, but she would scold me for accepting it.

"I don't know," I said.

"Perhaps he's just crazy. He is a Jew after all," Elfi said jokingly. I rolled my eyes at her remark. I didn't believe the Jews were any different from anyone else. It bothered me how suddenly they were treated worse than the dirt that we walked on.

"Good night," I said, exasperated. I opened the door to my apartment and stepped inside.

"Good night," she said, sounding a mixture of confused and disappointed as she wandered over to her family's apartment. I took off my hat and shut the door behind me. I didn't mean to sound so angry at her. It was not hard to buy into the Führer's propaganda.

I took the piece of paper out of my pocket and sat down on the mattress that was set out on the splintered wood floor. I threw my coat to the side and unrolled the paper. I read the pre-printed message that was on it.

_We are interested in your membership. We will send a representative by at seven o'clock to collect you. You must tell no one of this meeting._

I raised my eyebrows and crumpled the paper up. It was suspicious, but I wasn't going to report it any time soon. I found myself oddly intrigued by Chlothar, and his friends couldn't be much different than he. I took the paper and burned it in the little fireplace in my room. I laid back on my mattress and suddenly my exhaustion caught up with me. I drifted off to sleep in seconds.


End file.
